Change in schedule of RSS chief’s tour to West Bengal next month
Kolkata: There has been a slight change in the scheduled visit by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat to West Bengal next month.
His scheduled arrival to Kolkata has been postponed and at the same time the number of days of his scheduled stay in West Bengal has also been curtailed.
Sources aware of the development said that initially his scheduled arrival to Kolkata was on February 7, which has now been postponed to February 11.
At the same time, sources added, his scheduled stay in the state has been curtailed to just four days from the original itinerary of ten days.
As per the latest schedule, Bhagwat will arrive in Kolkata on February 11 and on the same day he will reach Burdwan in East Burdwan district where he will hold a series of meetings with focus on districts located in central Bengal.
In this session in Burdwan, Bhagwat is expected to focus on the RSS’ activities in the tribal dominated pockets in different central Bengal districts.
Sources said after completing the sessions at Burdwan, the RSS chief will come back to Kolkata on the very same night and for the next three days he will be holding a series of meetings with other top RSS functionaries in the state, focussing on the Sangh’s activities in different districts in the southern sector of West Bengal.
On February 13, sources added, there will be a scheduled meeting between Bhagwat and representatives of the civil society in West Bengal.
The tour of the RSS chief in the state is happening at a stage when there is already an air of tension between the Sangh and the ruling Trinamool Congress with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee earlier this month having criticised Bhagwat for the latter’s comments describing January 22, the date of Ram Mandir’s inauguration at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, as the “real independence day” of the country.
The Chief Minister even went to the extent of describing the comments by Bhagwat in the matter as “anti-national” in nature.
“I do not know why he made such a statement. But in my opinion this is an anti-national statement. I condemn such a comment and demand the withdrawal of such a statement,” the Chief Minister said earlier this month.